diff --git a/CLAUDE.md b/CLAUDE.md
index 7ed6a15..4603a28 100644
--- a/CLAUDE.md
+++ b/CLAUDE.md
@@ -115,11 +115,17 @@ Source layout (all under `src/`):
   a name or numeric id) against the *mounted image's own* `/etc/passwd`/`/etc/group`
   (not the host's), since names like `git` only mean anything inside that image's own
   user database. A numeric user with no group and no matching `/etc/passwd` entry
-  defaults gid to the same numeric value as the uid. `run_container()` (`main.cpp`)
-  calls this with either the explicit `--user`/`--group` flags, or, when `--user`
-  wasn't given, the image's own declared `config.User` (`OciImageConfig::user`/
-  `group`) — so a container defaults to running as whatever user the image itself
-  declares, not root, unless the image declares none.
+  defaults gid to the same numeric value as the uid. `ResolvedUser` (`bwrap.h`) also
+  carries `home`, looked up by the final resolved uid's `/etc/passwd` entry (field 5)
+  regardless of whether `user` was given as a name or a number; falls back to
+  `"/root"` for uid 0 or `"/"` otherwise when there's no matching row.
+  `build_bwrap_args()` (`bwrap.cpp`) sets the sandboxed process's `HOME` from this —
+  `"/root"` only when no user override applies at all (no `--user`, no image-declared
+  `config.User`). `run_container()` (`main.cpp`) calls `resolve_user_and_group()`
+  with either the explicit `--user`/`--group` flags, or, when `--user` wasn't given,
+  the image's own declared `config.User` (`OciImageConfig::user`/`group`) — so a
+  container defaults to running as whatever user the image itself declares, not
+  root, unless the image declares none.
 - `process.{h,cpp}` — argv-based subprocess helpers (fork/execvp, no shell):
   `run_process()` captures stdout (used for `containers-storage` calls),
   `run_process_foreground()` inherits all of stdio (used for the interactive `bwrap`
diff --git a/src/bwrap.cpp b/src/bwrap.cpp
index 6829084..7d4c81f 100644
--- a/src/bwrap.cpp
+++ b/src/bwrap.cpp
@@ -227,11 +227,9 @@ std::vector<std::string> build_bwrap_args(const std::string& root,
         "--setenv",
         "PATH",
         "/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin",
-        "--setenv",
-        "HOME",
-        "/root",
     };
     args.insert(args.end(), filesystem_args.begin(), filesystem_args.end());
+    args.insert(args.end(), {"--setenv", "HOME", user ? user->home : "/root"});
 
     for (const auto& volume : volumes) {
         args.insert(args.end(), {"--bind", volume.host_directory, volume.container_path});
diff --git a/src/bwrap.h b/src/bwrap.h
index 844f021..3796d53 100644
--- a/src/bwrap.h
+++ b/src/bwrap.h
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ std::optional<std::vector<std::string>> wrap_for_root_namespace(const std::strin
 struct ResolvedUser {
     int uid;
     int gid;
+    std::string home;  // from the image's /etc/passwd entry for uid, or a sane fallback
 };
 
 // Assembles the full bwrap argv (program name included) to run `command` with
diff --git a/src/user_spec.cpp b/src/user_spec.cpp
index a5616cd..7328488 100644
--- a/src/user_spec.cpp
+++ b/src/user_spec.cpp
@@ -119,5 +119,15 @@ std::optional<ResolvedUser> resolve_user_and_group(const std::string& user,
         }
     }
 
-    return ResolvedUser{uid, gid};
+    // Looked up by the final resolved uid (field 2), independent of whether `user`
+    // was given as a name or a number, so it matches whichever /etc/passwd row
+    // actually owns that uid. No matching row -> fall back to "/root" for uid 0
+    // (matches useradd-less images' own convention for root) or "/" otherwise.
+    std::string home = uid == 0 ? "/root" : "/";
+    auto home_entry = lookup_entry(passwd_file, std::to_string(uid), 2);
+    if (home_entry && home_entry->size() > 5 && !(*home_entry)[5].empty()) {
+        home = (*home_entry)[5];
+    }
+
+    return ResolvedUser{uid, gid, home};
 }